Matzke Fine Art and Design

Christen Mattix, Paintings

The daughter of a Lao/Thai interpreter and teacher, Mattix was born in Seattle and raised in Thailand. This bicultural experience shaped her into a catalyst for community.

Mattix’s work has been shown extensively throughout the Pacific Northwest and is in numerous private collections. Mattix was selected for the Public Artist Roster by the WA Arts Commission in 2023. She was commissioned by the City of Burlington to paint a 14 x 63 foot mural, “Root to Rise” She painted the 10 x 31 foot mural “Treasures of the Skagit Sea” for Jefferson Elementary School in Mount Vernon. In 2017, Mattix’s work was selected for the national juried show at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, WA.  Mattix also authored Skein, a memoir about transforming a Bellingham neighborhood through a three-year fiber installation.

Mattix received a BFA from Western Washington University and an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute.  She completed several artist residencies including The James and Janie Washington Residency (Seattle, WA) and the Grünewald Guild Art Residency (Planes, WA). Mattix has taught fine art throughout the Pacific Northwest including at Western Washington University, Seattle Pacific University, the Pratt Fine Art Center, and the Frye Art Museum. She and her husband live in Mount Vernon, Washington, where Mattix paints full time.